Guatemala

UNICEF estimates that are over 370,000 orphans in Guatemala. Many of these children come from families facing tremendous poverty; 70 percent of people in Guatemala live below the poverty level. Orphan Outreach serves children in extreme poverty situations in Guatemala by partnering with local orphanages, churches, and Christian schools. We make it a priority to work alongside Guatemalan nationals as they serve their own children. Orphan Outreach provides support and brings mission teams to our programs in Guatemala. Read below to learn more about our programs.

Orphan Outreach provides sponsorships (includes scholarships, uniforms, supplies and transportation) for 38 children affected from the mudslide devastation to attend Good Shepherd Christian Academy. Short-term mission teams have traveled to Santiago to work with the children at the school, provide Christmas and medical clinics for the families that live in extreme poverty near Panabaj.Click here to continue reading.

In 2012, Orphan Outreach began helping the Guatemalan Association of Down Syndrome (AGSD-Asociación Guatemalteca para el Dindrome de Down) in Guatemala City. The goal of AGSD is to support children with Down Syndrome so they can have access to specialized care, stimulation and education.Click here to continue reading.

In 2014, Orphan Outreach began a partnership with Lilly Ferrer and Esperanza y Futuro (Hope & Future), a children’s home located outside San Lucas, Guatemala. The home provides a safe and loving environment for more than 22 teen moms and children rescued from abuse, neglect, and trafficking.Click here to continue reading.

Late in 2009, Orphan Outreach began partnering with Little House of Refuge. Little House is the fruit of sacrifice—the result of one couple from Mexico, Ciro and Maria Teresa Murguia, and their willingness to sacrifice their own comfort and security for the sake of children who needed a home.Click here to continue reading.

Love the Child provides comprehensive care and developmental support for abandoned, orphaned, abused, and special needs children in Guatemala. The home was founded by Steve and Shyrel Osborn, who have created a unique, family–like atmosphere in which to care for these precious children. They currently care for around 50 children, from newborns to 15 years old.Click here to continue Reading

The Community Care Center (CCC) serves the children and families who work at the dump (located in a Ravine) and other families living in extreme poverty in the city of Chimaltenango.Click here to continue reading.

Guatemala is located in Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Caribbean Sea between Honduras and Belize.

UNICEF estimates that there are more than 370,000 orphans in Guatemala and at least 5,000 children live on the streets of the capital, abandoned by mothers who are too poor to keep them.

Only 24 percent of the population attends Secondary school (1996-2005).

Only 58 percent of municipalities have a secondary school.

Five out of 10 students who enter primary school in urban areas complete primary school, as opposed to only two out of 10 in rural areas.

Some 67 percent of indigenous children suffer from chronic malnutrition.

27 percent of all children under 5 are underweight.

The distribution of income remains highly unequal with about 56% of the population below the poverty line.

The indigenous population, the Maya, make up about half of the population. Mayan languages are spoken alongside Spanish, the official tongue. Many Guatemalans are of mixed Amerindian-Hispanic origin.

Guatemalans live in one of the most inequitable societies in the region. Poverty is particularly widespread in the countryside and among indigenous communities. Illiteracy, infant mortality and malnutrition are among the highest in the region, life expectancy is among the lowest and, in common with many of its neighbors, the country is plagued by organized crime and violent street gangs.